Honoring parents and sending away the mother bird are two commandments which the Torah equates regarding their reward: "In order that He will bestow good upon you, and long life...." (Devarim 22:6) Why should sending away a bird, a simple act, share the status of a very difficult mitzvah, honoring parents? What is the connection between these two mitzvot?

When a person approaches a bird's nest to take the young, the mother bird could easily fly to safety. But instead, she stays by the nest in order to protect her young, putting herself in danger. To capture her in this position would be to take advantage of her self-sacrifice for her young, and the Torah forbids this. Surely, then, we must honor our parents, who sacrifice so much for us.

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